Using Technology to Expand your Business
- 1. Using Technology to Expand Your Business Trevor Jobling PLATO, 19th February 2014
- 2. 1. 2. 3. 4. My Background Current trends in tech How can we benefit? Questions
- 4. • Lead Developer Interactive, 1999 • Joined a dotcom startup, 2001 • Founder , 2002
- 5. Consultancy
- 7. We help our clients to… Automate Innovate Integrate
- 8. A Tale of Two Clients
- 9. Customers
- 12. vs.
- 13. Old Own and operate hardware New Use anonymous datacentre Special software running on your computer Use any web browser System lives locally and can grow old Subscribe to a constantly updated service Data stuck in the office Data accessible from anywhere
- 15. There’s an explosion of applications
- 16. Many are very targeted, specific
- 19. Integrating systems is easier too
- 22. Work smarter Efficiency • • • • • Save time with better tools Collaborate Track your time Benefit from proven processes Remote
- 23. Make your Customers Happier • Know them better – CRM • Better comms: transparency, clarity • Track issues for better service
- 25. Manage Risk Your data may be safer off-site • Better backup? • Better security?
- 28. Fancy some DIY?
- 29. Something bigger? • Automate • Innovate • Integrate
- 31. Summary 1. 2. 3. 4. What hurts? Be curious – google Be choosy More ambitious? 1. What can you sell? 2. How can you delight customers? 3. What can be streamlined? 4. …?
Editor's Notes
- #5: One upon a time I was the lead developer in RTE Interactive. I left there to join a dotcomstartup at the height of the first dotcom bubble. That didn’t work out great, so in 2002 I co-founded Dovetail.
- #7: We build custom systems to help our clients meet their own goals when there is no off the shelf product that can meet their needs.We do build websites, but not if they’re just online brochures. There needs to be some software engineering and business process involved.I know that sounds very vague, but we’ll touch on it again later. For now, I can summarise what we do into three categories:
- #8: Automate: take the manual steps out of a process; reduce staff workload; become more responsive; reduce errorsInnovate: Enable to processes within the business, offer a new products or services, solve business issues, increase qualityIntegrate: Link systems (internal or external) to realise efficiencies, operate faster
- #9: John is on the left.He owns LA Brokers, a significant online discountbroker for insurance and pension products.LA Brokers sell many thousands of policies every year. A notable point is that John is a sole proprietor, and he is able to run his business because Dovetail has build systems that automate so much of the business.Ingvar on the right.The systems we have built for IKEA are used every day in every IKEA store in the UK and Ireland, by thousands of customers.
- #10: Anita Coyle, Paula Bates, Denise Reid, Siobhan Burke
- #11: Marketing is not in scope, so nothing social.
- #12: The core idea of cloud is that instead of having your own hardware, and running software applications on it, you instead use software applications that are hosted for you in some anonymous datacenter that you don’t know anything about. You just use a web browser to access the application.A nice example is moving from Sage to Xero.This frees you from costs of buying hardware and software.You benefit from economies of scale of pooled resources in the datacentre.Free you from maintenance, backups, security issues of running your own system.Enables instant delivery of updates, new features.
- #13: Old: Horrible to use. I didn’t understand it. Horrible outputs. Old. Designed for postal system. Required updates. Only I could use it. Not share with Martin. Only ran in the office. Only on my PC. I had to back it up.Collaborate with accountants was painful ExpensiveNew: So easy to use, more attractive outputs. Email enabled. Access anywhere (PC, phone, iPad), any time. Martin can use it too. Accountants update it in real time. Cheap
- #15: Standardisation, large technology ecosystem, good designs/apps/techniques thrive and reproduceAccess to market has
- #16: If you can think of it, it’s out there. Google and look. And they target niches.You’re not just buying the app, but the process too. No rights and wrongs.
- #17: If you can think of it, it’s out there. Google and look. And they target niches.You’re not just buying the app, but the process too. No rights and wrongs.EgBusinessPlan app
- #19: Depending on your business, if you are still just sending emails you’re probably missing outGoogle Docs, writing docsXero for accountsDrawing toolsMockupsProject management
- #20: Get one system talking to another
- #21: I think Dovetail is pretty current, so it may be useful if I walk you though some of the cloud apps we use. These may be good examples that give you ideas of what you can do too, and see the benefits we get from them.
- #22: Two hatsThese are suggestions, they may not fit for your business, but worth considering.
- #23: Collaborate with colleagues, customers and suppliers
- #25: Ditch the hardware,capex, electricity billsSave on hardware, software licensingCloud apps are generally cheap (economy of scale)The cost is in learning, switching
- #29: bolt together in novel ways
- #30: Usually everything is possible, but Cost & Time limit.Look for manual processes that could be eliminated. Eliminate paper, manual handling and queuesSell access to existing dataIncrease operational efficiency by automatingFacilitate outsourcingEmpower your customers
- #31: Regulatory issues Data sovereignty PCITrust Practice good governance Who’s backups do you trust? And security?Limitations Image editing Office and productivityOverlap